Package containing textile covered cord fuses and means for its production



June 19. 1956 H. F. BROV'JN ET AL PACKAGE CONTAINING TEXTILE COVERED CORD FUSES AND MEANS FOR ITS PRODUCTION Filed NOV. 28, 1951 I? ll f 20 '20 I2 )8 '0 I6 I I O O I INVENTORS ATTORNEYS United States Claims priority, application.- Great Britain December 22,- 1950 2 Claims. (Cl. 53-24) The present invention relatesto a new and improved package containing a plurality of lengths of textile covered fuse cords, and toxmeans for its production. The invention is more especially applicable .to safety fuse, and may be applied whether or-not the lengths of safety fuse are already provided at one-end with a charged detonator attached thereto. Lengths of safety fuse so provided are frequently known'as cappedtfuse.

Safety fuse is frequently soldin lengths of several metres. In packaging such lengths it is usual to. wind them on stepped mandrels to form individual coils, each coil being tiedin such amanner thatthe various laps in each coil lie in a compact group at the points where they are tied, the coil formed on the widest partofthe mandrel having nested within its coils formed on progessively smaller diameter steps of the mandrel. A pile of the .nested coils is then built up. Capped fuses are frequently coiled'individually by hand, and inserted. into individual bags, a plurality of the bagged coils being packed into a larger bag.

A package of textile covered 'fuseaccording. to the intent vention consists of an annular cylindrical pile of parallel and contiguous individual coils of substantially equal lengths of fuse in which pilethe laps of each coil lie in a single plane, the exterior surface has a retainingcylindrical. sheath offlexible sheet material, and the annular end surfaces havev attached retaining discs of sheet material.

For-capped fuse, the detonators are situated at the .inmost end of each coil so as to protrude somewhat into the central space.

A package according to the invention is more economic in storage space than hitherto known packages of textile covered fuse, because the flat arrangement of each individual coil enables the coils to be piled more compactly than coils of three-dimensional aspect, because a plurality of the individual packages can be piled more compactly, and also because the cylindrical retaining sheath of flexible material enables the maximum curvature which the fuse can undergo to be maintained in the inmost lap of each coil.

According to the present invention the process for the production of packages of textile covered fuse comprises forming an annular cylindrical pile of parallel and contiguous individual coils of substantially equal lengths of fuse so that the laps of each coil lie in a single plane, providing the exterior surface of the pile with a retaining cylindrical sheath of flexible sheet material and attaching retaining discs of sheet material to the annular end surfaces.

Apparatus adapted for producing packages of textile covered fuse in accordance with the present invention comprises in combination sorting and guiding members adapted to present advancing lengths of fuse substantially contiguously in a row in one plane to a cylindrical rotatable mandrel having a slot substantially parallel to its longitudinal axis, a flexible belt under accommodating tension adapted to press each length of fuse in position as it is deposited to form layer-on layer on the mandrel when caused to rotate, and a pair of removable rigid wall members of greater diameter than the mandrel.

The apparatus in use also comprises means for locating a sheet of flexible wrapping material on'said belt.

In using the apparatus a sheet of flexible material intended to be wrapped into cylindrical form around the outer cylindrical surface of the pile of flat coils for the purpose of retaining them against unwinding is fixed on the surface of the belt before the fuse ends are inserted into the slot ofthe mandrel and after the winding of the coils is complete the free end of this sheet is brought round and attached to another portion of the sheet so as to form the cylindrical retaining sheath, e. g. by means of a strip of adhesive tape. While this is being done the end retaining members of the apparatus are desirably still in position. The assembly of the retaining ends and the coiled fuses, enclosed in their retaining sheath, is then drawn off the mandreland the' end discs of the package are substituted for said retaining ends and are attached so as to form the complete package for example by strips of adhesive material.

The sorting member may advantageously take the form of a comb and preferably one whose teeth converge somewhat from its back towards its open end in order to facilitate the insertion of the fusebetween theteeth by hand. The guiding members may comprise for example an open-ended tray from the plane upper surface of which the teeth of the comb rise and theside walls of which converge forwardly from the locus of attachment of the comb, the guiding members if desired also comprising guiding rollers positioned to assist in feedingthe fuse lengths to the mandrel in contiguityin a single row.-

Where it is required to form a package from capped fuses the mandrel should be wide enough. to'take the whole row of detonators, and the end retaining wall members of the apparatus are desirably formed eaeh with a recess on their inner faces through which the.deto nators at each' endcan pass so that the whole row can be inserted simultaneously into the slot in the mandrel. It will be understood that the diameter of each detonator is greater than that of the fuse to; which it is attached. Alsoin the case of a capped. fusethewidth of. the.slot in the mandrel advantageously becomes increasingly greater than the diameter of a detonator as it deepens, so that the detonators can overlap to some extent in the slot and thus reduce the tendency for them to splay. In the final package the detonators are bunched slightly inwards into the space surrounded by the fuse coils when the end retaining members of the package are applied.

It is an advantage of the invention that the coiling and packaging of the fuses can be carried out more expeditiously than by known methods.

The invention is illustrated in the diagrammatic drawings accompanying the specification whereof Fig. l is a sectional elevation of the apparatus showing capped fuse being fed to and wound by the mandrel; Fig. 2 is a detail on an enlarged scale of a portion of the apparatus where one end of the belt and one end of the sheet of flexible material forming the cylindrical sheath of the package are attached; Fig. 3 is a front view of a sorting and guiding portion of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is the sectional plan on the line AA in Fig. i; Fig. 5 is a dissected view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 4 showing the two removable end retaining discs separated from the mandrel; and Fig. 6 is a dissected perspective view of the final package containing capped fuses showing the end discs separate from the package.

Referring to Fig. 1 0f the drawings 2 is a tray having an inclined plane bottom supported by a block 1, 3 is a strip of stout paper or fibreboard, which is also seen in Figs. 2 and 6. 4 is a tooth of a comb rising at right angles from the inclined surface of the tray 2. As is best seen in Fig. 3 the teeth of the comb converge towards their open end as they rise from the tray 2 to which the comb is attached, which is grooved to receive the back of the comb. The tray 2 converges forwardly of the comb as is best seen in Fig. 3. A flexible belt 5 attached to the tray 2 passes over the roller of a tension device 6 which may be a spring in compression or merely a weight suspended over the roller. The mandrel is constituted by a hollow metal reeling drum 10 which is flanged at one end. 11 is an annular end disc having on its inner face a slot-like recess 12 through parts of its thickness extending to the circumference. 13 is a length of safety fuse terminating in a detonator 15. 14 is a slot in the hollow metal reeling drum 10 with which the recess 12 is in line. The width of the open end of the slot is slightly greater than the diameter of the detonators and it is somewhat deeper than the length of the detonators and widens as it deepens. 8 is a spring clip for the attachment of the paper or fibreboard strip 3. Dowel pins 16 pass from the flange of the reeling drum through the disc 11 as best seen in Fig. 5.

In Fig. 2 the numbers 2, 3, 5 and 13 have the same significance as in Fig. 1. 7 is a pair of guiding rollers whose spindles are bolted to the tray 2 and the belt 5. The belt 5 is attached to the lower end of the tray 2 and the block 1. The lower end of tray 2 is reduced in thickness so that the top surface of belt 5 is in line with the main top surface of tray 2.

In Fig. 3 the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 have the same significance as in Figs. 1 and 2, and 9 is a pressure bar for operating the spring clip 8, best seen in Fig. 2, the function of which is to locate the paper or fibreboard strip 3.

In Fig. 4 are seen the paper or fibreboard strip 3, the contiguous coils of capped fuses 13 and the rigid removable annular end retaining disc 11, also seen in Fig. 1. 17 is a rigid removable recessed end retaining disc, 19 is a bearing and 20 is the drive. In Fig. 5 is will be seen that the disc 17 has a slot-like recess 12a corresponding to the slot-like recess 12 in the disc 11 seen in Fig. l, which is also seen in Fig. 5. The annular end disc 11 is bored to fit the dowel pins 16 in the flange of the reeling drum 10, and the end disc 17 is bored to fit the dowel pins 18 on the end of the drum 10.

In Fig. 6 it will be seen that the free end of the strip 3 has been fixed in position by the application of a strip of adhesive coated material 21, thus forming a cylindrical retaining sheath. The detonators 15 are seen in the space Within the inmost coils of the fuses 13. The end discs 22 for the package are attached to the cylindrical sheath 3 by means of strips of adhesive coated material 23.

What we claim is:

1. A process for the production of packages of textile covered fuse which comprises the steps of simultaneously winding a plurality of substantially equal lengths of capped fuse into parallel and contiguous individual coils under lateral restraint so that the laps of each coil lie in a single plane with detonators innermost, providing the peripheral surface of the pile with a retaining cylindrical sheath of flexible sheet material while said lateral restraint is yet effective, and then removing said lateral restraint and attaching retaining discs of sheet material to the annular end surfaces of the pile.

2. A process for the production of packages of textile covered fuse which comprises the steps of simultaneously winding a plurality of substantially equal lengths of capped fuse into parallel and contiguous individual coils under lateral restraint so that the laps of each coil lie in a single plane, providing the peripheral surface of the pile with a retaining cylindrical sheath of flexible sheet material while said lateral restraint is yet effective, and then removing said lateral restraint and applying retaining discs of sheet material to the annular end surfaces of the pile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 592,592 Morse Oct. 26, 1897 1,091,139 Jagenberg Mar. 24, 1914 1,208,295 Colman Dec. 12, 1916 1,449,073 Thom Mar. 20, 1923 1,631,756 Olin June 7, 1927 1,694,954 Stack Dec. 11, 1928 1,698,962 Olin Jan. 15, 1929 1,882,695 Aldrich et al. Oct. 18, 1932 1,929,911 Barab Oct. 10, 1933 1,947,351 Macklanburg Feb. 13, 1934 2,062,249 Clearwater Nov. 24, 1936 2,233,068 Ashcroft Feb. 25, 1941 2,385,612 Coutlee Sept. 25, 1945 2,454,821 McKee Nov. 30, 1948 2,574,710 Rodgers Nov. 13, 1951 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PACKAGES OF TEXTILE COVERED FUSE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF SIMULTANEOUSLY WINDING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTHS OF CAPPED FUSE INTO PARALLEL AND CONTIGUOUS INDIVIDUAL COILS UNDER LATERAL RESTRAINT SO THAT THE LAPS OF EACH COIL LIE IN A SINGLE PLANE WITH DETONATORS INNERMOST, PROVIDING THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF THE PILE WITH A RETAINING CYLINDRICAL SHEATH OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL WHILE SAID LATERAL RESTRAINT IS YET EFFECTIVE, AND THEN REMOVING SAID LATERAL RESTRAINT AND ATTACHING RETAINING DISCS OF SHEET MATERIAL TO THE ANNULAR END SURFACES OF THE PILE. 